Thunder in the West
by SoaringGryphonProductions
Summary: The Hippogriff Kingdom of Chefal broke away two years ago to become an independent monarchy away from Equestria. That is not sitting too well with Princess Celestia, and now she seeks to bring Chefal back under her rule. Not if these hippogriffs have anything to say about that.
1. Chapter 1

**My Little Pony: Thunder in the West**

 **Chapter 1: 'Pony-Bird'**

It begins as a whisper. A quiet voice going from ear to willing ear. That whisper turns into a battle cry, and that battle cry turns into a region taking up arms against an overwhelming invader. In the region of Chefal, a different kind of species is on the rise of influence in the fertile Northwestern Lands of Equestria. This species is the hippogriff.

They are different from the hippogriffs ruled by Queen Novo. This species of hippogriff is more griffon-like in appearance, and speak a different language in the form of French. They have no manes. Instead, this subspecies of hippogriff keep the wing-shaped ears. Ruled by Princess Henriette I, she is beloved by her hippogriffs and her subjects.

A bald eagle mixed with a brown Arabian with a black tail, Princess Henriette has very ruled well over the new kingdom since it broke away from Equestria, and became the first independent constitutional monarchy. One of the princess's terms is that though they are an independent region, they will maintain ties of friendship and trade with Equestria.

"I think the meeting went rather well," said the princess to one of her commanders, one of her most trusted commanders,

That commander is Wilhelmina, a very pretty one with full and mature flanks, "I did not like that look in her eye when she shook your talons,"

"You do not think she will abide by our terms?" the princess asked as they exited the palace, and headed back to Chefal,

"I would be lying if I said 'yes', I just advise that you be careful," replied Wilhelmina, a white gyrfalcon with a dark blue-grey beak mixed with a dapple-grey appaloosa, she has coined the nickname 'Spots' because of her beautiful mixed grey dapple patterns covering the top of her head, minus her face, to her rear with a dark grey tail in the back.

They each had a Gilda-sized beak and head shape, "Alright then, you have your orders, do what you must, have our troops mobilized, and I will speak with the commanders should war be declared," she said to her best friend among her military subjects. Wilhelmina saluted to the princess, and off she flew to the army base in Southern Chefal.

The soldier of the Royal Army of Chefal is a well-trained, and well-disciplined fighter. They are all taught to fight to their last dying breath. 'No Retreat, No Surrender, For Princess and For Land' is the slogan of the army. They are well-equipped to fight as well. Starting at the very top they wear the M26 'Adrian' helmet in a shade of khaki olive green.

"Attention!" called out a captain to two lines of soldiers with shouldered rifles, "eyes...right!"

In perfect unison they right to the Colonel, "Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!" they called back to her as their battle cry,

"Eyes forward!" he ordered and unsheathed his sword at his side resting the inside edge against his shoulder, "good to see you, Colonel,"

For this occasion, the captain was armed with his M1923 Infantry Officers Sword, and had his Modele 1935 pistol holstered at his side. His name is Hugo. Like the all soldiers under his command at the base, he wears an olive green jacket with black rubber buttons and brown leather webbing to carry items on himself such as tools and ammunition.

The soldier of the Royal Army of Chefal carries a well-crafted, very accurate rifle in the Schimdt-Rubin 1911. Designed to feed six 7.5mm GP11 cartridges from a detachable box magazine, this veteran of a straight pull rifle with decades of service is a favorite for all soldiers. The rifle is with the Model 1918 bayonet, making this a very formidable weapon.

"You too, Captain, good to see everyone is looking well," said Colonel Wilhelmina, "at ease," she ordered, and the soldiers followed it. She faced her troops stationed at the small base, a small base compared to the larger ones, "attention my brothers and sisters in arms, there is a possibility that our region may go to war against Equestria," she explained

The soldiers began to murmur amongst each other, "I know...I know, none of us asked for this,"

"But should an attacking force come from our neighbors to south, I ask one thing of you all," she added,

"Look at what is beneath your talons, what is beneath is the Land of Chefal, sacred ground!" she praised,

"No force of arms can take that from you, we will fight, we will hold our ground against the might of Equestria, I will trust you all over any army of thousands, I bid you all stand as Hippogriffs of Chefal!" she praised under her speech with the cry of a falcon. Her soldiers unsheathed their bayonets, and fixed them to their rifles, and raised them skyward.

When word got to her that Equestrian Forces were spotted in the south, her fusiliers were on the march and joined machine gunners carrying their MAC-32 Reibel machine guns. The word got to the tank and artillery corps. They joined the infantry to fight off the invasion. Their medium tank is coined 'Le Diable Vert': the Batignolles-Chatillon Bourrasque

The artillery corps brought in new artillery pieces to the frontlines for the first time. These include the Obusier de 105mm TF50 replacing the aged, but battle-proven Canon de 75 modèle 1897. This army relies on mobility and firepower. This came together in a notorious tank hunter the crews call 'Le Bourreau' or 'The Executioner': the AMX 50 Foch B.

Camped near the border, the commander went to see Princess Celestia, "Orders, your majesty?" he asked,

Princess Celestia squinted her eyes in the direction of Chefal, "Cry havoc, let slip the Dogs of War," she stated,

Meanwhile, Wilhelmina saw the Equestrian Troops preparing to invade, "So it begins," she said quietly to herself,


	2. Chapter 2

**My Little Pony: Thunder in the West**

 **Chapter 2: Indestructible (Disturbed)**

To be one of the chosen few to stand up against an onslaught is certain death with honor. Then again, all death is certain to soldiers. Those few have been chosen to stand as one outnumbered by far. Commander Wilhelmina is given a support company of sixty hippogriffs while the other forces are spread out. The orders from high command is simple

"Fight back and hold your ground," she said to her entrenched comrades. MAC-32 machine guns were dug into foxholes. This machine gun was redesigned to make it easier to use for infantry. The machine gun is now fitted with a barrel-attached bipod, and a tubular stock. Her soldiers nodded to her, and knew this is it. The beginning of the war.

"Steady now," she said to her soldiers,

"Here come the guns!" yelled Captain Hugo, and the ground was hammered with artillery strikes coming from Equestrian 155mm howitzers. The hippogriffs held, and covered their heads in the dirt. One shell fell too many. A soldier covered her head, but a screaming shell hit it's mark directly her. In an explosion of blackened earth, she just vanished.

It rained down pebbles, bits of dirt, and specks of flesh as the ponies advanced under the cover of the artillery. Expecting nothing to be left of them from the artillery strike, the ponies got a shock as the hippogriffs started shooting back, "NOW!" she roared, the ponies started falling from rifle fire from hippogriff Schmidt-Rubins, and Reibel machine guns

"Hold the line!" she roared to her griffs,

Crossfire ground through the dirt, and blood on both sides was spilled. Even with the ponies overwhelming numbers, two hundred against sixty bearing down on the hippogriffs, they still fought. The battle cries of those few echoed in the spring breeze. Machine guns spit out words of defiance made of hot lead as they mowed down the waves of ponies.

The artillery barrage coupled with machine gun and rifle fire was constant turning the battlefield into chaos. Seeing a few M1 Garand-armed pony soldiers charging her foxhole, Wilhelmina pulled the ring on an F1 grenade on her belt, and tossed it out of her foxhole. She ducked, and peaked her head up to find four pony soldiers dead from the grenade.

"Oi, we're almost out!" yelled a machine gunner named Helene

Her loader is Cherie. She ducked the crossfire of a Browning M2, and put on an 150 round drum magazine to the side of the machine gun, and tapped her on the helmet to tell her it's ready. Helene cocked the receiver and the MAC-32 was firing again. For hours, they held on. Ammunition was running low, and the ponies were not stopping the assault.

"Cherie, Helene, do what you can to give us support, infantry...," Wilhelmina looked to the few that were left to hold their position. They were ready to show these ponies what they can do. Wilhelmina is a young colonel that always put the rifle before her sidearm, "fix bayonets," she ordered, and her soldiers followed without questioning of her orders.

"Pour Chefal, En avant!" she yelled out as her battle cry,

"Attaque!" called out Captain Hugo amid the yells of the soldiers,

Her few dozen soldiers yelled their battle cries with bayonets fixed, and charged the line to the shock of the attacking ponies. The hippogriffs run their bayonets into pony flesh, and struck them down with rifle stocks. Even with the constant artillery raining down on them, the hippogriffs still attacked. Such bravery and sacrifice was thought to be lost.

The hippogriffs fell to the bullets from rifles and machine guns and shrapnel from the artillery barrage, but still they fought on. The machine guns supporting them gave it their all until they had nothing left to give. The determination in Wilhelmina's honey-colored eyes help feed a fire that burned her soul, and the souls of the soldiers that followed her.

"En avant! mes amies! En avant!" she called out to her soldiers,

She could not ask for soldiers any braver than those under her command. Even against all odds, they held their ground. Out of sixty soldiers, they lost at least twenty to the battle with a few wounded and the ponies were sent back in retreat. Knowing they will be back, they had little to reload their rifles and machine guns with after the battle.

Hugo was shot in the back leg, and was being tended to by a field nurse, "Well done, Captain, well done," she said touching his cheek. Captain Hugo is a hippogriff with the head, talons and wings of a bald eagle, grey wings, and the back of a white stallion with a black tail. He smiled, nodding lightly. He cringed as the nurse tightened the bandaging

"It is only one battle, there may be more," said Cherie,

"They will come again, think we will be relieved, colonel?" he asked,

Captain Hugo killed six ponies with a bullet in his back leg. Wilhelmina looked out at the field scarred by shell holes from the artillery, "I do not know, maybe...if not, then there is no better way to die," she replied, the destiny of a soldier is death like the destiny of all life that draws breath. How one meets that end is up to that one be it any species.

Being their commander, she had to count the dead, the wounded, and those still fit for action. One unfortunate soldier was 'missing in action'. It was a victory. They had pushed back the might of Equestria, yet it was only one battle. The taste was bittersweet at best. Captain Hugo was back on his talons and hooves with a limp in his bandaged back leg.

"Is something on your mind, Colonel?" he asked curiously to her,

She grinned lightly, "Equestria maybe invincible, but even immortals bleed when struck,"


	3. Chapter 3

**My Little Pony: Thunder in the West**

 **Chapter 3: Les Tirailleurs**

Among the ranks of the hippogriffs are troops that would come to be feared more than the standard hippogriff infantry soldier. These hippogriffs were recruited from a faraway land and lived alongside Zecora's kind in harmony. Some ponies think that these hippogriffs were forced into service for Chefal. Instead, all these hippogriffs volunteered.

Often a mix of a Martial Eagle and a Barb or 'Berber' horse, these hippogriffs are called Tirailleurs, and they volunteered to be recruited as assault troops and became known for their fighting spirit and valor. Armed with the same weapons as the Chefal infantry regulars, they have a special weapon carried alongside the rifle. A very traditional weapon.

It is a machete called the 'coupe-coupe'. On the night after the battle on another side of the front, a young Tirailleur named Aida would put the traditional blade to very efficient use. Under the command of a Chefal regular captain named Hariette, they sneaked through the woods away from the field where a Equestrian patrol was making it's rounds.

These hippogriffs were preparing for an ambush, "Not a sound," she whispered,

Hariette nodded lightly to Aida. With a ready rifle, Aida turned slowly and steadily from behind a tree. She aimed for the officer at the front, and shot him in the temple. She heard the 'plink' sound of his helmet, knowing she scored a kill. Aida hid back just in time when the return fire started. The ponies were on their hooves as their officer is dead.

To not give away her position, she always reloaded while the enemy returned fire as she is trained to do. More rifle fire came from other positions, scoring kills on the patrol. The hippogriffs seemed to move like ghosts, and the sound of bullets piercing flesh with spurts of blood, and the sound of falling pony bodies echoed through the dense woodlands.

The enemy held their position on the trail. Their eyes shifted looking for any movements among the trees. The Tirailleurs were waiting and buying their time. They waited for the ponies to be at their most vulnerable. Aida's best friend, Amina, took a shot at the ponies from her position at a fallen tree. Using a hole in the rotten old tree, she picked one off

When the ponies were reloading, Hariette gave the order, "En Avant!" she yelled,

With cover fire from the MAC-32 machine guns, the hippogriffs came down the sides and attacked the trail. The ponies had no idea what hit them. The Tirailleurs yelled their battle cries, and attacked with rifles and the coupe-coupe machete. Fourteen pony soldiers only faced four Tirailleur hippogriffs with a commanding officer. Good odds for them.

With her Modele 1935 pistol, Hariette charged alongside her band of skirmishers and shot two pony soldiers in the head, and a third in the chest. The second in command turned to see Aida armed with her traditional machete, and that was the last thing he saw. With a loud and proud battle cry, she lopped off his head with a clean chop from her blade.

"Ndam ('Victory!')!" Aida yelled holding the severed head by the mane to the cheers of her fellow Tirailleurs and clapping talons from her commanding officer. Like Wilhelmina on the other side of the front, Hariette cared for her soldiers. Hariette is a fetching hippogriff built like Wilhelmina. She is a bald eagle mixed with a brown arabian with a black tail.

"Well done, ladies, well done, we best head back to camp," she praised her troops,

"Oui, mon capitaine," said Amina with a salute, the severed head was placed on a sharpened stick of pine, and the bodies thrown in a ditch to the side of the trail as a warning to whoever dared venture into the woods. The two machine gunners and two fusiliers under Hariette's command headed back to their camp in the woods for a well-deserved meal.

Tirailleurs run the risk of receiving no mercy from the enemy if they get captured. The risk is even greater since they carry the coupe-coupe machete. These hippogriffs willingly took that risk, "Do you ever wonder why we all decided to fight alongside you?" asked Aida, "we are different, we sound different, but we see no difference between you and us,"

"There is no difference, Aida, we are all the same," said Hariette checking the sight on her pistol, and putting it back in the holster. These volunteer soldiers were not forced off their land in the past, nor were they mistreated. When the war broke out, envoys from Chefal came to their lands asking for their help. They agreed, and are treated as equals.

"We will fight for you, alongside you as brothers and sisters in arms," Amina vowed,

The others talked amongst each other, either speaking French or their native dialect of Wolof. Some were cleaning their rifles, and checking their gear while others were sharpening their blades. Other than the coup-coup, another blade these soldiers carry is the French Pattern Sykes-Fairbairn knife. It is a very good knife for the sneak attack.

The hippogriffs under Captain Hariette left no survivors in their ambush attack on the pony patrol. The Tirailleurs do not expect to be given any mercy, so they would not give any mercy to the enemy in return. Amina lightly smiled to the cook that was making his rounds, filling their mess bowls with a lentil soup called Harira. It is all there was to eat.

Aida turned to her commanding officer, and grinned, "You know they have a name for us, our enemy," said the hippogriff that killed the other pony officer in the patrol they attacked that day. The sitting hippogriff had her rifle resting on her shoulder as she ate her meal. The officer was curious of what the ponies call them, "they call us 'Buzzards',"


	4. Chapter 4

**My Little Pony: Thunder in the West**

 **Chapter 4: Doctrine**

In the Griffon Kingdom, the griffons developed a form of warfare called Blitzkrieg. It took the Hippogriffs of Chefal to perfect it. The aim for every weapon used by the army of Princess Henriette is to be lightweight, highly mobile, and pack a punch. An area where these three requirements come together in near perfection are in anti-tank weapons.

For the individual soldier needing a weapon that is handheld but can stop a tank, one would need a rocket. The Chefal infantry-griff is armed with a weapon the ponies have nicknamed 'Rock n' Roll': the Raketenrohr 58. The Hippogriff take on the Bazooka, this rocket launcher replaced the old and heavy anti-tank rifles from the standard arsenals.

All the armies of the kingdoms have anti-tank guns of various calibers from light to heavy. The engineers and designers in Chefal developed an anti-tank gun that is one single caliber but mobile enough to be moved around by a gun crew, an artillery tractor-armored personnel carrier such as VK. 501, and even by aircraft: the 90mm PAK 50.

These weapons were put to the test, "Captain, something is coming up the bridge," said a soldier,

The captain's name is Hilde, and noticed the tank from her binoculars, "Where there are tanks, infantry follow,"

A shell was fired at them as the commander spotted them, "Take cover! Bring up a '58'!" she ordered,

Wood splinters flew in all directions as the shell hit the tower they were watching from. A soldier hurried up to her position and aimed the rocket launcher, "Make sure it's within range," Hilde advised to the soldier, and with one rocket it hit the tank. The rocket damaged the roadwheels and a section of the tracks of an M24 Chaffee. a good start.

Only forty rifles and a gun crew were there to defend a small riverfront village from the ponies. The tank crew, or what was left of it, was getting out to inspect the damage. The infantry was on their hooves, and expecting resistance in the village. They got it with a 'bang!'. The gun crew of a PAK 50 was hidden in the rubble, and destroyed the tank.

The turret flew off the tank, and a pony's scream was silenced as the turret crushed him with a 'crunch!' under the weight of it's steel. Rifle and machine gun fire erupted from the village. The citizens of the village made it safely to the basements as advised by the soldiers defending their small village. They did not want any civilian casualties in battle.

"Get out of range! Get out of-!" before he could repeat his command, the pony commander was shot,

"Filthy Pony-Birds!" a soldier blasted as they returned fire at the gun crew of the PAK 50 behind the gun shield.

With another shell in the breech, the weapon was fired and killed four ponies, "Eat some iron, Ponies!"

There was chaos in the village, and bodies of ponies falling on the cobblestone streets. The ponies were being shot at it in all directions from rifles on the rooftops to a machine gun hidden in a brasserie. It rained the night before battle. A pony fell muzzle first into a bloody puddle in the street with a 'splat!' after getting cut down by machine gun fire.

They shot back with M1 Garands, but the hippogriffs always being on the move and not staying in one place made them difficult targets especially with all the coming crossfire. To help distinguish themselves from the pony soldiers and to avoid friendly fire, the hippogriffs had to rely on sight since they wore a similar colored uniform to the enemy.

Hippogriff soldiers moved in small groups from street to street avoiding the rifle fire and machine guns of the ponies. A hippogriff sargeant named Harlene saw her chance seeing a pony reloading her M1 Garand. She turned a corner while two soldiers with her were taking cover with a machine gun nest, and shot her in the head as she was reloading.

The 'plink' sound of her M1 helmet signaled a hit for the hippogriff, "GO! GO! GO!" she yelled her order

"Get your griffs out of here, we got this!" yelled the gunner of a machine gun crew, the ponies were now in a trap.

"Understood," said Harlene with a two-finger salute between soldiers, the ponies were in the 'meatgrinder'

The 'meatgrinder' is a tactic used by Hippogriff soldiers usually in urban combat. Three MAC-32 machine guns act as the 'blades' in hidden areas. Cul-de-Sacs and sharp corner turns make great spots for these ambush nests. This one had a 'blade' hidden in an alleyway, the other in the window of an old bookstore, and one hidden in a corner café.

Unfortunately, these ponies were not careful of where they step, and the whole platoon was cut down in seconds from machine gun in three directions. Seeing the loses growing, and the officers in command were all dead, the soldiers began to flee the small village, taking their dead and the wounded with them. It was a most impressive victory.

For the first time since the war began, not a single hippogriff soldier was lost in a major battle. A very rare occurrence in war. There were some wounds that needed patching up by the field nurses, but these brave soldiers earned their rest. The villagers came out of hiding, and were thankful for their heroes who defended the village with their lives.

"They will return, hopefully we can have reinforcements," said Hilde seeing the pony camp across the river,

"I just got word from the brass, we have a support company, sixty griffs, hopefully it will be enough," said Harlene,

Hilde nodded, "Good to know, this maybe a small village, quite a cozy one, but we need all the help we can get,"


	5. Chapter 5

**My Little Pony: Thunder in the West**

 **Chapter 5: Take to the Skies (Part 1)**

The war on the ground is not the only theatre of the Chefal conflict. Equestria was fighting on two fronts with their troops invading the Griffon Kingdom and the Northern Griffon Tsardom of Orel. They have the pony-power to open up a third front in Hippogriff Kingdom of Chefal. The next theatre in the Chefal front is in the air against their Armee De L'Air

Le Armee De L'Air Royale stands as equal to the army and navy. Headed by Armand Épervier, the Eurasian Sparrowhawk mixed with a grey stallion with black hooves and a black tail made sure the pilot-griffs he commanded are the best of the best. With the pilots come the best in their fighter and bomber aircraft technology in the Dewoitine D.551 fighter

Nicknamed 'L'épée' or 'The Sword' due to the sharp nose on the aircraft, it is fast and it is well-armed with two 20mm Hispano-Suiza cannon and two MAC 1934 machine guns in the wings. They are reliable fighters loved by their pilots. This air force uses two bombers in the form of the Bloch MB.131 medium bomber and the Bloch MB.162 heavy bomber.

Armand was doing his inspections of pilots and aircraft. He helped make sure that everything is in running order. His pilots stood at attention, and among the ranks there are two that stood out. Two twin gyrfalcon hippogriffs mixed with Friesian Leopard mares, they are the 'Destrier Twins' or the 'Speckled Sisters'. They are the top aces in his air squadron

"Well now, Celeste...Avaline, good to see you," he greeted,

"Same to you, Commandant," said Avaline as they saluted,

As they are allied to the two Griffon Kingdoms, they were given a special fighter plane to work with courtesy of their Queen Galiana. Commandant Épervier lightly grinned to the twins, "You two are some of the best aces among our squadrons, so much so that many fighter-griffs fresh from the academy will look to you for inspiration, be that inspiration,"

"It is not just you two, you are all the best this force can to fly" said Armand looking at each pilot in the eye, "in these recent developments, Equestria is becoming more brazen, her strength is not to be underestimated, and neither should your own, they got more than enough ponies to fight on three fronts, yet numbers in war don't mean a damn thing"

"Equestria will bomb our lands, our towns and villages, it is up to us to safeguard our kinfolk from the skies," Armand concluded, and the mares and stallions under his command took to their planes. The engines were started, and the wheel blocks were removed. Pilots got into the cockpits, and put on their breathing masks as they sped down the runway.

Like soldiers going on patrols, the air force was running sorties in the skies to keep an eye out for the Equestrians. Avaline spotted a few aircraft in the skies above, "Bandits at eight o'clock, prepare to...wait a minute," Avaline focused her brown eyes on the symbols on the sides of the fighters, "iron cross, iron cross, they're griffon pilots, let them pass"

"10-4, Roger that," said a young rookie pilot-griff named Delphine,

"10-4, Delphine, let's say greet our friends," said Celeste, the three fighters on sortie duty went up to see a squadron of FW-190 DB 609 fighters in the dark green, yellow, and black of the Griffon Kingdom Royal Air Force and the 'Iron Cross' on the sides of their planes near the cockpit, and under the wings. Chefal warplanes have the 'Tricolor' roundel

With the whirling hum of the engines, the hippogriff pilots went up to see their griffon allies. There isn't much difference between a griffon and a mountain hippogriff other than they are slightly larger in size, and also half-pony. As they are so high up, the hippogriffs kept their masks on. Delphine turned her radio knob to the griffon aircraft's frequency.

Delphine chose the lead bomber. A Heinkel He-111-E4, "Breaker breaker, if I have your attention, you are now entering the airspace of the Kingdom of Chefal, may we offer you all some assistance?" offered the golden saker hippogriff pilot with matching mare half. From their brown leather flight jackets and flight caps, they appeared to be average pilots

"10-4, this is Grunwald of the 1st Königlich Schwarm, that would be most welcome," said the griffon piloting the fast medium bomber. Grunwald is the cousin of a sailor named Gallus. They look identical with the only difference being that Grunwald has grey feather and fur. The Chefal pilots also met Gale and Genevieve. The aces of the Griffon Kingdom

The pleasantries were very short lived, "Bandits, one o'clock!" radioed Gale,

"Stay close to the bombers, we'll handle the uninvited guests," replied Celeste,

Bullets whizzed passed them like a swarm of lead wasps with metallic 'plinks' into the bomber wings. Six P-51D Mustangs came out of the clouds, and dove in to attack the three D.551 fighters and two FW 190 DB 609s. The bomber-birds got to the MG-15 machine gun turrets and 'blisters', and the 20mm cannon in the nose and the MG-131 in the rear.

As the machine guns and cannon from the bomber were splitting bullets, the Chefal fighter pilots took on a sample of the might of the Equestrian Air Force. The pilots broke off to engage the bandits while still staying close to the bombers. Delphine in her dark blue D.551 chased after a silver P-51D, notching her first kill by clipping the Mustang's wing.

The plane spun passed her as a burning wreck, "Youppi!" she cheered,

Avaline was there to give her guidance, "Watch your tail! Watch your tail!"


	6. Chapter 6

**My Little Pony: Thunder of the West**

 **Chapter 6: The Cannons Still Roar**

With a modern Army and Air Force, the Navy is also a well-armed force. Modest in size but modern in it's technology, 'La Royale' have some of the largest guns in the military arsenal in the Western Kingdom. The mountain hippogriffs wanted a part in the naval arms race that swept through all the kingdoms of Equestria. It began with a battlecruiser.

From the slipways of the navy shipyards in the port city of Mouette, the navy commissioned their first major warship class in twenty years: the Étretat class battlecruisers. With a length of 704ft, a beam of 102ft, and a draft of 29ft, she is big. Armed with eight 13inch guns in two quadruple-mounted turrets with the secondary turrets in the warship's aft

After their commissioning and passing of their sea trials, an even larger class of warship came off the slipways. These are the Le Soleil Royale class battleships. These handsome warships are 827ft long with a beam of 114ft. Armed with twelve 15inch guns in three quadruple-mounted turrets in the fore and aft, this naval class has the navy's biggest guns

At the command of the warship Le Soleil Royale is Adelaide De Bonelli. A White-Tailed Eagle mixed with a tan Arabian mare, she is known as 'Big Bonelli' among the sailors that are honored to serve under her. She has a crew of 1,500 aboard one of the prides of the navy. Today is the day of her gunnery exercises alongside the new heavy cruiser Gloire.

"Good to see her getting out to sea," said the beautiful admiral

"She runs as smooth as butter and pate on bread," said the helms-bird,

"Good to see you are well, Miss Milan," said Adelaide,

"Get her up to speed, Miss Milan," she said to the helms-bird.

"Aye-aye, ma'am," said the helms-bird with a nod and grin looking out at the open sea with a cruising speed of 25 knots though the ship's top speed is 32 knots. This battleship is designed to keep up with cruisers and destroyers to help assist in the protection of seagoing convoys heading to the Griffon Kingdom or the Northern Griffon Tsardom of Orel.

The helms-bird is Celine Milan. A common buzzard mixed with a brown mare with a black tail and back hooves, Celine has a big responsibility up in the citadel of the battleship, "Target sighted...have the guns at the ready," said Adelaide, radioing the gun crews. In a mechanized ballet, the massive gun turrets of the battleship were moved into position.

"Turrets in position, guns at the ready admiral," said an ensign named Baudouin

"Crew standing by, awaiting further orders...admiral?" he added and questioned,

"Oh, I heard, I'm just making sure she's within range," she said with a grin to him,

"Not yet...Not yet," the admiral said quietly to herself looking out at an uninhabited rocky island far off the coast through her binoculars. Once she was in the perfect range, she gave the order, "Fire," she said, and the twelve 15inch guns roared out a salvo. The shells hit their target with the heavy cruiser Gloire also firing her salvo once she was in range

The cruiser Gloire is part of the Guerrier class of heavy cruisers. Classified as a 'large cruiser' She is as fast and well-armed as she is aesthetically pleasing. Well-armed with nine 9.4inch guns in three triple turrets, this heavy cruiser class is designed to be very fast with a top speed of 35 knots and hit hard with her guns. All convoys are safe on her watch

The ships in the Le Soleil Royale include the King Guillaume nicknamed 'Le Roi', Queen Henriette, Le Tonnant, and Le Soleil Royale. The Guerrier class of large cruisers include Gloire, Lion, Guerrier, and La Princesse Royale. Other ships include submarines, aircraft carriers, light cruisers, large destroyers, and other ships made to defend Chefal's waters.

"Battle stations! Battle stations!" called out the cruiser's commander via telephone,

"What's the meaning of this?!" Adelaide demanded seeing her crew hurrying about,

"A submarine was spotted on the Gloire's sonar," said a sailor named Alexandre hurrying to inform the commander. True to the warning from the cruiser, Le Soleil Royale's sonar spotted a submarine lurking below the surface. The Equestrian submarine ERS 'Seahorse' looked to catch the hippogriff navy napping. The heavy cruiser launched two torpedoes

One thing 'La Royale' excel at is communication between ships, a scout plane from the aircraft carrier 'Chevalier' spotted the 'Seahorse' heading toward the warships conducting their gunnery exercises seeing an opportunity to cripple two prides of the fleet. The message from the pilot went to the cruiser command center, and the warning was spread out

On the cruiser Gloire, the admiral watched and waited for the torpedoes to hit their mark. The head officer of the cruiser is Aurelie Martin. A golden saker mixed with a matching mare half, she looked out seeing a grey and black explosion of water and oil erupting from the depths. They had damaged the submarine, causing her to emerge to the surface

There were survivors in the water wearing lifejackets for the sailors to puck out of the water, and led to the hold of the cruiser by the barrels of MAT-49 submachine guns. Unlike ponies toward griffons and hippogriffs, the army, navy and air force have policies that POWs are to be treated fairly and humanely. That way post-war relations will be friendlier.

 **(Note: Gloire is modeled after the La Galissonnière class, but lengthened, and armed to an equivalent of the Henri VI on World of Warships. The Étretat class are modeled after the Dunkerque class. The Le Soleil Royale class are modeled after the Alsace class. The Chevalier is modeled after the Joffre class carriers.)**


End file.
